News and Tips of the Microscopic with Macroscopic Importance

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Is it possible to make drugs beautiful? Artist Sarah Schoenfeld from Germany decided to find out in her series “All you can feel” Enjoy these, and other, works at her site. Because science can be lovely, too.

This morning, my husband showed me a TED Ed talk about why tattoos are permanent. I could (and may well) do an entire post on why TED talks, be they TED, TEDx, or TED Ed, are not just fascinating, but incredibly useful, but for the moment, let’s just enjoy this video:

One of the basic tenents of Biology is that DNA, found in the nucleus of every cell, is translated by RNA and codes for proteins that build and carry out the functions of life. In this video (brought to me by LinkedIn) you can see it happen via animation.

The surface of the planet we live on is approximately 71% liquid water, and the average adult is about 65% water. The understanding of life centers on liquid water: without water, we assume there is no life. It is the most common solvent in labs, and when it is contaminated, it is the cause of so many deaths that it sets nations back by centuries.

I am passionate about water safety and ending the world water crisis, so every Wednesday will be Water Wednesday. Look for articles, infographics, or links to water-related issues. These may be like today’s infographic on water in labs, it may be a chemistry lesson on water, it may be articles about specific water-born illnesses or pathogens that are, for some portion of their lifespan, dependent upon water to mature, infect, or breed. It may be about water purity, or water safety, it may be cautionary, informational, or even, occasionally, just fun. But Wednesdays will be dedicated to the liquid that brings us life.

It’s the title of a science fiction horror film, but it’s also a real occurrence for certain insects. In this video (another LinkedIn find) from the BBC, we meet cordyceps, a fungal infection that controls and eventually kills ants. This is a 3 minute clip from the longer Planet Earth series. If you’ve never seen this remarkable series, I highly recommend it. Not only do I enjoy it, I’ve found that even my pets enjoy it, too (yeah, I know, that’s silly).